Picture this: You’re connecting a sling to a swivel hoist ring using a screw pin shackle. You get the sling nestled nice and comfy in the bow of the shackle and put the ears around the bail of the hoist ring. You insert the shackle pin through the ears of the shackle (being careful to catch the bail on the way through) and you twist it until it’s tight against the side of the shackle. You’re about to fly the load but wait, you forgot something! A supervisor told you that the pin is supposed to be backed off 1/4th of a turn! How could you have forgotten?!
If you’ve ever been in this situation before, we have some news for you. The American Society of Mechanical Engineers states quite plainly in its B30.26 standard for Rigging Hardware “screw pin threads shall be fully engaged and tight, and the shoulder should be in contact with the shackle body” prior to any lift.
With rigging especially, there seems to be a lot of industry practices that came about without consulting the manufacturer and this is one of the many examples we cover in our Crosby Rigging Seminars. One of our trainers goals during the training is to point out where there are no grey areas; if the manufacturer of a product has written procedures for its use and we don’t follow them then who is being negligent? Proper rigging techniques should always be used to avoid accidents and injuries.
If you’re now wondering if there are any other rigging situations or practices that might not be up to par, please don’t hesitate to contact our professional Safety Trainers.
We offer a variety of Safety Training courses for the mining and construction industries. We also offer Emergency Responder courses.
Here is a full list of our Safety Courses:
- Crosby Rigging Training
- Fall Arrest Safety Training
- Tugger Safety Training
- Wirelock Socketing Training
- Suspended Access Equipment Training
- First Aid / CPR Training
- Emergency Medical Responder Training
- Medical Frist Responder Training
- Intermediate Level First Aid Training
- Firefighter Advanced First Aid
Contact Northern Strands to book your next Safety Course at 306-242-7073 by email training@northernstrands.com or visit or webpage to learn more http://www.northernstrands.com/training.aspx
Northern Strands is proudly Saskatoon, Saskatchewan owned and operated.
Being a company that specializes in rigging, we are often asked for working load limits for wire rope slings, synthetic slings, chain slings and polyester round slings. We have attached a Sling Ratings Chart for the convenience of our valued customers.
Sling Ratings Chart.pdf (324.61 kb)
Trivia: Did you know that Northern Strands is the largest supplier of wire rope and rigging in Saskatchewan?
Northern Strands is proudly Saskatoon, Saskatchewan owned and operated.
Recently the company, "Concept Group" had round slings made for them by Northern Strands. Soon after, Concept Group sent an email praising Northern Strands service and knowledge .
Here is the portion of that email discussing our service.
“One of our guys was in earlier today to purchase 20 slings from you folks. By the way he says you were very knowledgeable and fantastic to work/deal with.”
Thank you Concept Group for your high praise of our knowledgeable employees! Northern Strands Warehouse proudly employees some of the most technically trained and knowledgeable employees in the industry.
Northern Strands Warehouse/Rigging Division
Our Capabilities:
• Northern Strands has Saskatchewan’s largest inventory of
wire rope available from 1/16” to 2” in standard sizes and
5.5mm to 26mm in metric sizes.
• Large selection of rigging products.
• Distributor for some of the largest world class
manufacturers in our industry including The Crosby
Group, Gunnebo Johnson, Thern, Unitex and Vitali.
• Crane rope inspections.
• Assistance in the development of rigging and lifting
plans for your job.
• Technically trained sales staff. We have the answers to
your questions.
• Certificate of compliance for rigging products. Safe and
approved for every job.
• Custom built products. i.e. material baskets, chain and
wire rope slings, etc.
• Vertical and horizontal test bed services.
Northern Strands is proudly Saskatoon, Saskatchewan owned and operated.